Barrett trophy comes home

After a two-year absence, the Rogers City wrestlers reclaimed the Bill Barrett Memorial trophy Saturday with a 5-0 performance. They completely dominated Alpena (70-6), Charlevoix (66-6), St. Ignace (69-12), Oscoda (73-6) through the first four rounds and then knocked off Whittemore-Prescott 45-30 in the finals. The Hurons have won three of the five Bill Barrett tourneys. The Hurons dual record stands at an impressive 15-1 heading into a home match tonight against Oscoda. The wrestlers will travel to the Ithaca Invitational Saturday.

TYLER SCHUITEMAN, who was one of six Hurons to go undefeated on the day, pinned Chris Shimmons in the second period (3:09) to break a 30-all tie to lock up the victory for Rogers City. There were two matches left with Jerome Gapczynski and Chase McLennan, but coach Pat Lamb knew he would be getting a void at 171, so even if Gapczynski gave up six points, the victory was solidified. Gapczynski won a 12-6 decision to pick up three points and was one of seven Hurons to finish with 4-1 records. Schuiteman?s match provided some drama. Shimmons inside tripped Schuiteman, aggravating a football injury to his ankle, but Tyler came back to whip Shimmons midway through the second period.

?Tyler Schuiteman?s match at 152 was huge,? said Lamb. ?At that point I knew there was no way they could beat us. ?Tyler has been battling that ankle problem since football. That shows you something about his perseverance, and how he hung in there and came up with a big pin for us.? He was 5-0 at the meet. The rest of the tournament champions include Chase McLennan (171), T.J. Sobeck (103), Brian Krueger (112), and Brent Freel (119), all who were 5-0. Derek Schleben (215), Zak McLennan (130), Alex Matthews (135), Cody Wenzel (145), Dylan Centala (140), Mark Grulke (189), and Gapczynski were all 4-1.

?WE LOST seven legitimate matches all day. That makes for a pretty successful outing,? said Lamb. Freel recorded his 100th career win in his third match of the day against Sam Fitzpatrick. Freel easily won the match 17-2. He becomes the 33rd member of the Huron century club. Only one Rogers City wrestler has more than 200 career wins and that?s Duane Woloszyk with 205. He may have company in that rare territory if injuries don?t slow Centala down. He

is hot on Duane?s heals with 188 career victories. The other active members of the century club include Cody Wenzel and Krueger. Grulke, who set a new school record with a five second pin in his match against Whittemore, could be the next Huron to join the 100-win club. Last Thursday, the Hurons traveled to Ogemaw Heights High School and defeated the host Falcons 46-25 and Oscoda 73-6. Double winners include Sobeck, Krueger, Freel, Centala, Wenzel, Schuiteman, Gapczynski, Chase McLennan, and Grulke. Winning one match was Wilk, Zak McLennan, Matthews, and Schleben. Freel had an eight-second pin against Oscoda.

ON SATURDAY?S tournament at Ithaca, Lamb said it is going to be a challenging meet. ?We?ve got some very good teams down there,? he said. ?We have Carson City Crystal, Hesperia, New Lothrop, St. Louis, a lot of D-4 schools that are going to be in the mix at the end of the year. ?It?s one of those tournaments where we are able to, because I don?t have a heavyweight, I?ll be able to double up at a weight class.? Rogers City has been traveling to Ithaca for competitive tournaments for about 10 years.